Snubbed
A fun day at the coast is all planned, and Blizzard is ready to dig for clams with Grandpa, Cyclone, Michael, and Stinky. But when part of the group fails to show up, Blizzard discovers that thoughtless choices can affect more people than we realize.
SNUBBED
When it was time for all of us pillows and Grandma and Grandpa to go to bed, Grandpa asked Cyclone and me if we would like to go clam digging at the ocean beach in the morning. I asked where we would be going, but I did not really care. He said he knew where there was a good beach at the coast that had a lot of nice clams and only a few diggers to “thin them out.” He said, “The beach is about two hours away, and only a short hike through some brush and over a few dunes is necessary to get there.”
“Wow! That sounds great,” I exclaimed as I gave myself a spin. Cyclone started dancing around in his PJ’s; Grandma looked at Grandpa and asked him if it was necessary to ask about going to the coast at bedtime.
“What was I thinking?” he replied.
At that, Grandpa playfully whacked Cyclone and me on the seat and pointed to the bedroom. “We will talk about it in the morning,” he added.
Cyclone and I love camping, fishing, and hunting with Grandpa, and I enjoy clam chowder. This clam digging in the sand sounded like a lot of fun too. I could hardly get to sleep because I was so excited, and I saw Cyclone once looking around long after everyone else was fast asleep that night.
After breakfast and Bible study, Grandpa started loading up our clam digging equipment. I noticed there were three shovels and two tubes with handles on them. It seemed like more equipment than the three of us would need. I asked what the large tubes with handles were and why we would really need so much equipment. Grandpa just smiled and said, “You will see.”
When Bertha and Bella brought us our lunch, I asked, “How long do you think we will be gone?”
Bella replied, “You should be back just in time for supper.”
I picked up the sacks of lunch and said, “OK,” but it was a question as much as a statement.
When Grandpa walked up to the truck, I asked if he thought we should bring along our sleeping bags.
“We have enough food to last for two days,” I continued.
“No,” Grandpa said. “We are picking up Michael and Stinky on the way. They both eat a lot.”
I had not known that, but things were starting to make more sense now.
Michael and Stinky would be a lot of fun. I was even more excited when I heard they would be with us. Grandpa told Cyclone and me that we needed to stick together and watch the ocean.
“Do not get out in the surf,” he said. “I will talk with all of you about beach safety as we travel to the coast.”
When we arrived at Michael’s house, his little sister Joy came running out to meet us. She is always sweet on Cyclone, so it did not surprise me that she started looking for him.
Grandpa asked her where Michael and Stinky were. Joy just shrugged her shoulders and said, “I have no idea.”
Right then, Michael and Joy’s mom, Ruth, came out to talk with Grandpa. She said she had just gotten home from work and the boys were gone. Joy said they had been away for about an hour. Ruth said they had left Joy home alone and went out on the bicycles. She had not been informed before they left, but she knew Michael was in big trouble when he got back.
“He knows better than to leave Joy here alone and not tell me.”
Grandpa asked Ruth if she thought something could have happened to the boys.
“No,” she answered. “Michael has found a place to play video games and is almost surely there.”
Grandpa looked at his watch and said he was sorry the boys were not ready to go.
“We must leave now if we are going to the ocean. We need to be on the beach at low tide and return home before it gets late.”
Ruth understood and said the boys needed to learn a lesson about being more responsible.
“I don’t know about Stinky, but Mr. Michael will be getting some reprogramming of his own when he gets back home,” Ruth exclaimed.
Grandpa smiled and said we would bring her back some clams for a meal if we got some. At that, we all said goodbye.
As Grandpa backed out of Ruth’s driveway, I felt just terrible. My friends Michael and Stinky knew we were coming but were not prepared to go to the coast with us. I felt snubbed and hurt, but I felt worse for Grandpa, Grandma, and the girls who had done so much to get things ready for our outing. I would not have thought anything about it if they had not agreed to go. It was their choice to make, but what they did was very inconsiderate.
Clam digging was going to be a great experience with or without them, but somehow it felt all wrong, so I asked Grandpa why things happened the way they did.
Here is what he had to say about the matter:
“All youngsters need good parenting. I am sure Michael will learn from this experience, and Stinky will too if Bubba hears about it. The boys meant no harm, but they acted without thinking things through. Their negligence means that they miss out on this fun and educational trip to the coast. That is unfortunate.
“If we wait, we will not have much opportunity to get the clams we want. But I am sure the boys will learn a valuable lesson. I may be wrong, but I think we will hear from Michael and maybe Stinky too this evening. I will talk to them about going to the coast again some other time.”
I sure hope, dear friend, that you are not thoughtless and forget your commitments. Remember others are counting on you. I have to admit that I learned some from what Michael and Stinky did. I plan to be very diligent not to be forgetful or get carried away so that I am being inconsiderate. This is a situation where it is best to learn from others’ mistakes.
Love,
Blizzard
P.S. We had a great time at the coast. We dug up a lot of clams, and Ruth, Michael, and Joy were invited over for dinner later that week. Stinky had gone home with Bubba, so he missed out on the clam dinner.
When Bubba was driving Stinky home, he asked about his experience at the coast. When he found out that Stinky and Michael did not go because they were not where they were supposed to be when Grandpa arrived, Bubba gave him a good lecture. He did not get in real trouble, but he still learned a lesson. I found out later that Stinky was very disappointed about missing out, so Grandpa said we would all go later. Yippee!
Grandpa had said I would learn about the tubes with handles across the top. Well, he informed me they are called “clam guns.” Clam guns don’t shoot. They have about six-inch tubes with caps on top. There is a little hole in each cap. To get a clam, you push the tube down in the sand so the clam goes inside of the tube. Then, to bring the clam up, you place your finger over the little hole in the cap and pull the tube back out of the sand. It is a fun experience for the clam digger.
How do you think Blizzard felt when Michael and Stinky were not ready to go?
Why is it important to keep your promises and commitments?
How can we show others that we are dependable and considerate?
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